A New Translational Tool for Studying the Role of Breathing in Meditation.

说明(申请人提供)：呼吸练习，单独或作为身心干预的一个组成部分，如冥想和瑜伽，有可能改善一系列的急性和慢性疾病。本提案描述了一种用于动态监测呼吸的新的转换工具的应用，以调查特定的呼吸运动--意识呼吸(MB)--对主要心血管风险因素--血压(BP)的影响。新的监测仪不仅可以连续测量呼吸频率，还可以连续测量自然环境和临床环境中呼出空气中的二氧化碳(PetCO2)。PetCO2的相关性在于它与血液CO2共同变化，后者反过来调节酸碱平衡，众所周知，酸碱平衡对所有身体组织的稳定生理功能至关重要，因此对健康很重要。本项目提出了一项关于甲基溴对高血压前期个体的二氧化碳分压、呼吸频率和血压的影响的研究。第一个具体目标是检验这样一个假设，即八周的MB计划将比健康教育(HE)注意控制组产生更大的PetCO2变化。第二个具体目标是验证这样的假设，即MB将比HE产生更大的24小时血压水平下降，并且血压下降更大的MB参与者将比那些血压变化较小的参与者表现出更大的PetCO2变化。新的监测仪能够在呼吸发生改变PetCO2的剧烈变化时向参与者提供反馈。因此，本项目的第三个具体目标是调查在3个月的随访期内，用PetCO2反馈补充MB和HE训练对BP的影响。该项目有可能阐明MB或其他心身干预可以影响心血管疾病的主要风险因素的机制，从而证明其适用性 这一新的翻译工具在CAM中进行研究。 与公共健康相关：这项研究将为科学界和公众提供一个新的翻译工具，有助于增进我们对各种心身干预措施的理解，包括呼吸练习和冥想可能如何影响健康结果，包括血压升高。这一工具可以用于研究，以提高这些干预措施的有效性，并通过这样做，为公共卫生做出贡献。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Breathing exercises, alone or as a component of mind-body interventions such as meditation and yoga, have potential for amelioration of a wide range of acute and chronic disorders. The present proposal describes the application of a new translational tool for ambulatory monitoring of breathing to the investigation of the effects of a specific breathing exercise, mindful breathing (MB), on a major cardiovascular risk factor, blood pressure (BP). The new monitor enables continuous measurement, not only of breathing rate, but of CO2 in expired air (PetCO2) in the natural environment, as well as the clinic setting. The relevance of PetCO2 is that it co-varies with blood CO2, which in turn regulates acid base balance, known to be vital for stable physiological function in all bodily tissues, and thus important to health. The present project proposes a study of MB effects on PetCO2, breathing rate, and BP in individuals with prehypertension. A first specific aim is to test the hypothesis that an eight week program of MB will produce greater changes in PetCO2 than occur in a health education (HE) attention control group. A second specific aim is to test the hypothesis that MB will produce greater reductions in 24-hr BP levels than HE, and that MB participants with greater decreases in BP will show larger changes in PetCO2 than those with smaller BP changes. The new monitor has the capacity to provide feedback to participants when an acute change in breathing that alters PetCO2 has occurred. The third specific aim of this project is, therefore, to investigate the effect of supplementing MB and HE training with PetCO2 feedback on BP during a 3-month follow-up period. This project has the potential to elucidate a mechanism by which MB or other mind-body interventions can influence a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and thereby demonstrate the applicability of this new translational tool to research in CAM. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This research would provide the scientific community and the public with a new translational tool that could help advance our understanding of how various mind-body interventions, including breathing exercises, and meditation may impact health outcomes, including elevated blood pressure. This tool could be used in research to enhance the effectiveness of those interventions, and by doing so, contribute to public health.